Fairy Tale
by alias of a girl
Summary: How far would you go, to get that happy ending you deserve? How far would you go to preserve the fairy tale you spent endless nights clinging to, as your only light in the dark? [ RikuSora, rated for language ]
1. Chapter 1: Get Over It

Welcome all! This is my first yaoi fic, so be nice and no flames please! Each chapter will be based around a song, for example, this one is about _Get Over It_ by OKGO. Cool? Cool. This fic takes place after KH2. Sora and Kairi are both 16 and Riku is 17. Okay, enough of my blather! On with the fic!

**Chapter 1: Get Over It**

_Oh it's such a drag, what a chore, all you're wounds are full of salt. _

_Everything's a stress, and what's more, well it's all somebody's fault._

_x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x _

Riku groaned, mumbling something incoherent to someone named Bob. He wondered vaguely who Bob was, until the sound of an electric guitar jolted him into the waking realm. He sat up, blinking wildly as the radio blared out:

"I'm Bobby on FM108, the Wave, and this is OK Go with 'Get over it'!" A much too chipper voice said through the speakers. Riku stared bleary-eyed at the clock until he was able to read the time. 7:00am?

"What the hell? I didn't even set my alarm!" He growled, flopping back down onto his bed. There was no reason for him to be up so early. He didn't have to work today, he didn't have to do anything today. His alarm, however, apparently wanted him awake much earlier than was reasonable and was going off when he didn't want it to. He brought an angry fist down on it and the music stopped as he buried his face in his pillow and tried to go back to sleep.

"RIKUUUUUU!!" Female giggling followed the shout and he grunted as a weight landed on his legs on the bed. He opened one eye and discovered Kairi sitting on his bed, leaning towards him with a wide grin plastered across her face. Riku sighed and pulled his blanket up over his head.

"Kairi...what are you doing in my room at this ungodly hour?" He asked.

"It's noon." Another voice replied from elsewhere in the room. Riku's eyes shot open again and he sat up suddenly, nearly throwing Kairi off of his bed.

"Sora! What are you doing in here?" He asked, clearly more distressed by Sora's presence than by Kairi's, though why, not any of the three of them were sure.

"You're grandmother let us in. We wanted to know if you wanted to come to the fair with us." Sora answered, taken aback by Riku's reaction. There was also a hint of disappointment in his voice that Riku couldn't place. He ignored it and instead cross his arms, glaring at the brunette.

"Well, I was sleeping! Did you _have to_ come attack me in my bedroom?" He asked, feigning anger in place of the rather uncomfortable things that he was actually feeling but was choosing to ignore. Sora's eyes widened and he pointed at Kairi.

"It was _her _idea! I wanted to go ahead without you!" He said. Hurt flashed across Riku face and Kairi's jaw dropped. She turned and looked at Sora, shocked by how mean he was being to Riku. Sora blinked, surprised by their reactions, and then reddened, gasping.

"That's not what I meant! I just told Kairi and we should leave you alone and let you sleep! I wanted you to come too, but I know you don't like it when we disturb you sleeping!" He explained desperately. Riku rolled over to face the wall.

"Well it doesn't matter anyway. I have to work today, so leave me alone and let me sleep a little while longer before I have to go." He grumbled. Sora and Kairi both stared at him. Sora clenched his fists.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that." He repeated, knowing full well that Riku was still angry about what he said.

"Like I said," Riku replied, "it doesn't matter. I'm working today anyways. You guys go ahead." He paused before adding, "Have fun." It was hard to tell whether the last comment was sincere or sarcastic. Kairi and Sora left in silence. Riku lay in bed for a long time after they left, thinking.

Riku ran down the stairs and grabbed the car keys off the kitchen table. Riku's grandmother Emily was sitting at the kitchen table, eating lunch.

"I'm going out." He said monotonously. Emily looked up at him. She had sharp, pretty features despite her developing wrinkles and hair dyed jet black.

"Where?" She asked interestedly.

"Out." Riku replied vaguely, disappearing out the front door. Riku lived with his grandparents and uncle, who was only seven years older than himself. His grandparents were just over 50, named Emily and Andrew. His uncle was Taron, but despite being surprisingly close in age, Riku rarely spoke to him as he was rarely ever around. They lived in a quaint beach side house, which his grandparents bought for the view rather than the house itself. Riku paused on the way out, looking out over the endless water. The sky was cloudy, but off in the distance, the clouds ended and there was a thin strip of sparkling blue water across the horizon. It was just the colour of Sora's eyes... Riku gave his head a sudden shake and trotted down the front steps, unlocking the car. He got in and started the engine. One of Taron's mix CDs began to blare out of the speakers as Riku pulled out of the driveway. He drove in no particular direction with no intention of going anywhere. He just wanted to be away from where ever he was. He found himself driving down a country road in the middle of nowhere farther inland.

"Why did that upset me so much?" He asked himself finally, thinking about his reaction to Sora's words about leaving Riku to sleep. He sighed. _He didn't want me to come... but he likes Kairi, so it's not that he doesn't like me, he just wants some alone time with her, _he thought. He growled, pressing his foot down on the gas. The car jumped forward. The idea that Sora wanted time alone with Kairi was making him feel worse.His thoughts came back to Sora and he tried to be angry with him for being so inconsiderate, but it really wasn't working, and it was getting harder to deny how he was feeling whenever the brunette was around...

"_Aren't you such a catch? What a prize! Got a body like a battle-axe. Love that perfect frown, honest eyes, we ought to..."_

Riku hit the radio, shutting it off, grumbling something about hearing that song too often. The lyrics played over in his mind and he got the overwhelming feeling that the description fit Sora perfectly. He pulled over to the side of the road and gripped the wheel.

"I do NOT like Sora." He said to himself. His heart flip-flopped in his chest at the mention of Sora's name out loud, which only served to make him dig his heels further in. "I DON'T like Sora! Not anything more than a friend!" He repeated, his voice getting louder. "I don't! I don't, I don't, I _don't_!! I'm not crushing on my best friend. I'm straight, damn it!" There was a long silence and Riku rolled down the window of the car, feeling suddenly like the air was stale inside the vehicle. He took a big deep breath and swore loudly.

"SHIT!" He threw the car back into drive and pulled off of the gravel shoulder of the road, the wheels squealing against the pavement as the car accelerated. "What the hell am I going to do? I'm head over heels for my best friend! And he's a guy!" He forced himself to relax and slowed to a sane speed as he approached suburbia once again. "It's got to be hormones or something. It's just a phase. Just a passing phase." He said, satisfied that he's convinced himself that it was true...even though he only pretended like he was convinced. That little voice inside of him telling him his true feelings for Sora was squished, but only for the time being. He pulled back into his driveway and sighed, looking for the first time since he'd left, at the clock. His jaw dropped. He's been out for almost three hours. It looked like it had been raining too. Riku opened the door and was greeted immediately but a Sora who looked happy and yet disappointed at the same time. Riku stared at him, wondering how Sora could possibly look both happy and sad and still be so attractive. Riku reddened once he realized what he'd been thinking and bowed his head, hiding his blush with his bangs.

"Hi Riku!" The brunette waved to him, running from where he's been sitting on the front porch. "The fair was rained out, and Kairi said she had to go home. I was just here to see if you'd gotten home from work yet. I'm lucky I didn't leave before you got here, don't you think?" He asked, gabbering away and grabbing his older friend by the arm, practically dragging him back into the house.

_x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x_

Ya ya ya, it's all short and whatever for a first chapter, but that's what happens! Next chapter will be very much longer, m'kay? Please review, I'm really excited about this ficcy!


	2. Chapter 2: It Ends Tonight

**Chapter 2: It Ends Tonight**

_A falling star, at least I fall alone.  
I can't explain what you can't explain.  
You're finding things that you didn't know _

Two boys burst into the kitchen, chattering and laughing. Even though Riku had been sulking and being unbelievably emo all day, being in Sora's presence had an amazing effect on him, and he was already acting as if he'd forgotten all him problems. In fact, he did forget all his problems; for the time being, anyway.

"The fair got rained out, so I was going to come see you at work and Kairi wouldn't come with me!" Sora was telling Riku. "She said she had to go home." He explained. Riku's grandmother was sitting at the kitchen table and looked up at Sora, her expression confused.

"Work?" She asked. Sora flashed her a smile.

"Sure! I wanted to go visit Riku today!" He answered. From just behind Sora, Riku motioned desperately for Emily to leave the issue alone. She knew that Riku didn't have to work that day, but she didn't know that he's told Sora and Kairi that he did in his anger that morning. Emily started to laugh helplessly at Riku's animatedness. Sora turned around, confused, and burst out laughing as Riku's hand signals went from him actually trying to communicate with his grandmother to him just being silly and waving his arms. Grinning and blushing slightly, Riku announced that he was hungry.

"Do you want anything to eat, Sora?" He asked, rummaging through the refrigerator. Emily disappeared into the hallway, mentioning something about having to go out for a while, and that they'd be alone in the house until she got back. Sora paused thoughtfully and gasped once he got an idea. Riku still had his head stuck in the fridge, looking for something good to eat when Sora collided with him from behind, locking his arms around Riku's neck.

"Popcorn!" He cried, laughing uproariously. Riku nearly fell over backwards. Sora let go of him and stumbled sideways, catching himself on the table. Riku gave his head a shake and smirked.

"Popcorn it is. Next time, don't be so violent when you want to ask me for food." He said finally, closing the door of the refrigerator and going into the cupboard for the popcorn. Sora chuckled.

"I want to watch a movie." He stated, wandering into Riku's living room. "What movies do you have?" He called into the kitchen.

"Ummmm, they're all in the drawer next to the TV. Go look for something good to watch." Riku answered, more focused making popcorn than on what Sora was doing. There was the sound of a drawer sliding open, followed immediately by a loud crash. Riku ran into the living room, and burst out laughing. Sora had pulled the drawer out too far and it had fallen out of the chest. Sora was now sitting on the floor, buried nearly up to his chest in DVD cases, with the overturned drawer sitting a small distance away from him and a horrified look on his face. Once Riku started laughing, Sora relaxed and grinned sheepishly at him.

"Oops?" He said, shrugging and lifting the drawer, righting it and beginning to dump armfuls of cases back into the drawer.

"Put it back into the chest first, before you put all the cases back inside." Riku suggested from where he was standing at the kitchen door, keeping an eye on the popcorn. Sora looked up at him, baffled.

"Why?"

"The drawer will be way heavier to lift if it's full." Riku answered. Sora's face lit up with understanding, but it quickly passed and was replaced with a smirk.

"Well, I knew that, but I'm strong enough to be able to lift this drawer when it's full. I could do it with one hand tied behind my back!" He announced smugly. Riku grinned evilly.

"You want to be tied up? Kinky." He replied, chuckling. Sora blanched.

"RIKU! Get your mind out of the gutter!" He ordered. He stopped, lifting his nose to the air, sniffing. "And plus, I think the popcorn's done." He added. Riku walked back into the kitchen and got he the snack ready, wondering what in the world possessed him to say that. An excited shout from Sora made him forget his thoughts, and the brunette raced into the kitchen, sliding across the hardwood floor in his socks.

"Found a movie?" Riku asked amusedly as Sora waved the DVD in front of his face.

_x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x_

Riku and Sora were lazing on the couch, watching the movie. Riku was sitting nestled into the corner of the couch, propping his head up on his arm, which was resting against the arm of the couch. Sora seemed to have edge closer to him over the course of the film and they were now sitting close enough to each other that Sora was almost leaning against Riku. Sora's closeness had been distracting Riku through the whole movie. _He's my light. Maybe it's not so wrong of me to... feel the way I do about him, even if he doesn't feel the same way._ He smiled slowly, feeling a little better. Sora jumped, apparently jostled by something happening in the movie.

"Movie too scary?" Riku asked, teasing.

"No." Sora said grumpily. Riku looked back at the television screen. A woman was walking down a darkened hallway. Creepy music floated out of the speakers. Riku rolled his eyes.

"Why do you always go for horror movies? You know you're afraid of them."

"Oh come on! The last time I watched a horror movie was before...everything happened! I'm not afraid of them now-" He retorted heatedly before gasping at the image of a ghost in the bathroom mirror in the movie. The woman screamed and Riku pushed pause, turning the TV off.

"Let's go get some real food." He suggested. Sora nodded vigorously and followed Riku out into the kitchen again, holding the half-full bowl of popcorn. Riku pulled french fries out of the freezer and got them ready to cook. Sora leaned against a counter, snacking on the popcorn quietly.

"I'm thirsty." He commented.

"Chocolate milk." Riku answered. Sora nodded and Riku started making the chocolate milk. He was being a perfectionist about it and Sora was getting impatient. Aiming carefully, Sora threw a popcorn at Riku, who turned to see Sora grinning smugly.

"Gotcha." Sora noted. Riku raised an eyebrow. Sora threw another popcorn, catching Riku in the nose. Riku glowered at him and Sora grinned. Riku realized that he had the bottle of chocolate sauce still in his hand from making the chocolate milk and grinned. Sora blinked, confused by Riku's sudden change. In one swift move, Riku stepped away from the counter and squirted the chocolate sauce at Sora, you let out a yell and tried to shield himself with his arms. Riku stopped, laughing triumphantly, until he got another good look at Sora covered in chocolate sauce. His face went suddenly red as he began to wonder what it would taste like if he were to lick it off. His eyes settled on the chocolate in the curve where Sora's neck met his shoulder and was suddenly hit with the image of him running his tongue along the trail of sauce. He let out an involuntary gasp. Sora was laughing helplessly.

"I guess I need a shower." He observed after a moment. Riku nodded and silently led the younger up the stairs to his en suite bathroom. He didn't trust himself to speak, as he wasn't sure he'd be able to control what he would say.

"I have to run to the bathroom downstairs." Riku said quietly, showing Sora into the bathroom. Sora nodded.

"Okay! Thanks for letting me use you shower!" He said, having no idea what he was putting Riku through. He closed the bathroom door and Riku started towards the door, hurrying to the other bathroom, when Sora reappeared a moment later. Riku turned around and bit his tongue upon seeing that Sora was wearing only a towel, chocolate sauce and a sheepish grin.

"W-what?" Riku asked slowly after a moment.

"I need some clothes. Mine are all chocolate-y now." He said, still oblivious to Riku's discomfort.

"Okay. I, uh, get you some...later...or something." Riku said, getting antsy. Sora smiled at him.

"Awesome! I'll go shower now." He said, wandering back into the bathroom. Riku turned on his heel and all but ran to the other bathroom.

_x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x_

Riku flopped onto his bed, having just 'recovered' from Sora. The ambient sound of the water running nearly lulled him to sleep. He sighed, closing his eyes. His thoughts swirled around inside his mind, making it pulse with unpleasant pressure. He made a mental note to get Tylenol later. A certain melody came to the forefront of this thoughts. He thought carefully about it, but couldn't place a name to it. He started humming along, adding words where he knew them. Shortly after, he realized that Sora was singing in the shower, and that's what he was hearing.

"The walls start breathing, my mind's unweaving, maybe it's best you leave me alone." There was a thud as the shower turned off and the sound of the shower curtain being shuffled around. Riku let out a long sigh, letting the lyrics and the truth sink in. _Maybe I should just let Sora alone..._ he sat up, further lyrics spilling out of his mouth involuntarily:

"A falling star, at least I fall alone..." Sora interrupted his thoughts by sticking his head out the bathroom door with a sheepish grin on his face.

"Uh, Riku? Can you get me another towel? I got chocolate all over the one that I had before..." He asked. Riku grinned, allowing himself to relax for a moment, and nodded, muttering some comment about Sora's incompetence, just loud enough for Sora to hear.

Riku returned with the towels and was sitting on the floor.

"This is getting out of hand. I know he's my light but... I'm not supposed to like him. Not like this." He said to himself. He lay back on the floor, spreading his arms out as far as they could go and stretching. "So, I need someone to straighten me out." He chuckled in spite of himself at his own pun. He sat up, looking thoughtful. "Maybe I could get myself a girlfriend." He wondered. Sora knocked against the door.

"Who are you talking to?" He asked. Riku's eyes went wide when he realized that Sora could hear him.

"Nobody. Are you eavesdropping on me?" He asked in reply, trying to sound like he was teasing.

"Nah, I couldn't understand any of it. Were you telling secrets?"

"There's nobody here to tell secrets to. I was talking to myself." Riku answered, getting up and sitting on his bed. There was a long pause, and the he heard Sora's musical laugh.

"You're crazy."

"So are you."

_x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x_

Ya, alright, this chapter's short too. But they'll get longer! I'm not used to going by a premade plan, and if I keep going on this chapter, the next one's going to be like 2 pages. Gah! Oh well! Smaller chapters means more updates, so whatever. Review please!


	3. Chapter 3: For You To Notice

**Chapter 3: For You To Notice**

_But for now, I'll look so longingly,_

_Waiting for you to want me, for you to need me_

_For you to notice me._

Riku growled, his hand connecting with his alarm clock again. It kept going off when he didn't want it to. He found it vaguely strange that The Wave was playing a Dashboard Confessional song. He rolled over. Or at least, he tried to roll over. He was tangled in his sheets, giving him that warm feeling you get when you wake up in a warm bed on a cold morning. But at the same time, there was something different. He opened one eye a crack and his breath left him completely. Sora was fast asleep next to him. So it wasn't the sheets that Riku was tangled in; it was Sora's limbs. Sora's arms were locked around Riku's torso and his head was resting against Riku's shoulder. Riku could feel Sora's warm, soft breathing on his neck. Every muscle in his body was tense with surprise, but as he let his breath out, he relaxed a little and allowed himself to smile. Riku's own arms were holding Sora close. He was afraid to move, since he wasn't sure what would happen when Sora woke up. And then the alarm went off again.

_And I would be there every time  
you'd need me  
I'd be there every time... _

Riku reached over to turn the radio off again, but a sharp gasp issuing from Sora distracted him. The younger scrambled off the bed and got to his feet, looking lost.

"Riku! I, I ummm..." He said slowly. Riku stared blankly at him. He was disappointed that Sora had been so quick to move, slightly angry at his broken alarm clock had been the cause of the end of that moment of peace. But at the same time, the look on Sora's face was one that Riku didn't see often. It was one of confusion and almost-fear. Riku sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the bed, concern overtaking all other emotion. He looked directly into sapphire eyes.

"Sora, are you alright?"

"I, well, I didn't mean to, I mean, uhhhh..." He stuttered, walking back and forth, his face going bright red and unable to look Riku in the eye. Riku grabbed the pacing brunette's wrist and he stopped and looked up.

"It's okay..." He said, quietly and reassuringly, though what exactly it was that he was assuring, he wasn't so sure. Sora watched him, nodding and relaxing a little. A voice shouted up at them from downstairs.

"Riku! Sora! Are you here?" Kairi called, her voice muffled. Sora grinned, pulling open Riku's bedroom door.

"We're up here, Kairi!" He called. A smile seemed permanently stuck on his face from the time he heard her voice. Riku lay back down and sighed, folding his hands behind his head. The thudding sound told him that Kairi was running up the stairs. She burst into the room a moment later.

"Hey!" She greeted them with a smile. Sora returned the smile in all sincerity. Riku looked over and offered her a half smile. Sora ushered Kairi into the room, and they stood on one side of the room, while Riku stretched out on the other.

"So, what's up?" Sora asked Kairi, grinning sheepishly. Kairi shrugged.

"Nothing, I guess." She turned and looked at Riku. "Sorry I didn't come with Sora to visit you." She added. Riku turned his head so he was looking up at the ceiling.

"No big deal, I met up with Sora here anyways." He answered shortly.

"Oh, didn't you visit Riku at work?" Kairi asked Sora, surprised. Sora shook his head.

"Nope. Did you finish whatever it was that you had to do at home?" Sora asked. Kairi blinked.

"Oh... oh, yes. I did. Didn't take as long as I thought it was going to." She replied vaguely. Riku was half ignoring them, busy being grumpy over the fact that Sora completely ignored him when Kairi was around.

"Well, if you're not busy, do you want to try the fair again tomorrow with me?" he asked, smiling slightly. Kairi shrugged.

"I don't think I'm doing anything." She answered slowly. Riku sat up and watched Sora expectantly. The brunette completely ignored him, watching Kairi instead, with a stupid grin on his face. Kairi glanced at Riku.

"Riku, do you want to come with us?" she asked, quickly. Riku shrugged.

"I have to work. Besides, it was Sora's idea to go, so I don't if it's your place to be inviting me." he snapped, most upset by the fact that Sora was paying no attention to him than Kairi's minor slip up in courtesy. Sora turned and gave Riku a blank stare, confused about Riku's angry tone.

"I knew you were working, so I didn't say anything." he explained simply. His eyes fell on the clock and he yelped. "I'm an hour late! I have to go!" He cried, jumping into action and running towards the door. He paused halfway out and glanced at Kairi. "See you tomorrow?" He asked. She nodded and he grinned, sprinting out of the room. He called a greeting to Riku's grandmother downstairs and the door slammed shut on his way out. Kairi crossed her arms, looking apologetically at Riku. It was entirely obvious that he was jealous of how Sora treated her, and she felt terrible about it. Riku was sitting on the end of his bed and looked up at her suddenly.

"Hey Kairi?"

"Yep?"

"Can you do me a favour?" he asked slowly. Kairi nodded, sitting down next to him.

"Sure, what do you need?" she asked, anxious to make up for what she felt like was her stealing Sora away from Riku. There was a long pause before Riku continued.

"Will you go out with me?" he asked suddenly. Kairi stared at him, her mouth agape. There was a long silence. Riku found himself surprisingly relaxed. _Maybe it's because I don't really care for her that way,_ he thought simply. His thoughts were going to continue, but Kairi's answer came first and it shocked him into thoughlessness.

"But, I thought you liked Sora..." she said slowly. Riku choked on his words, before finally spitting out,

"How did you know?!" he asked. He turned bright red and then tried to correct himself. "Wait, what? No I don't!" he said suddenly, staring at her in an almost angry shock. Kairi stayed calm, having known that he would react this way.

"I've known for a while. It just seems obvious to me. I just have one question though: what happened to you and Sora while you were caught in Kingdom Hearts together, fighting Xemnas. You came back changed. I mean, we were all changed, but you two, and your relationship, it was different from when Namine and I found you, when you still looked like Ansem. You were changed together, starting from when Sora saw through your disguise as Ansem. I've known ever since then," she paused, waiting for a reply, but when one didn't come, she continued. "So? Am I right or am I wrong?" she asked. Riku bowed his head, hiding behind his silver bangs.

"I'd like to say that you're wrong... but I'm not so sure..." he mumbled.

"Because you think Sora doesn't feel the same?" she asked. Riku nodded almost unnoticably. Kairi sighed. "Remember when Sora found us? He hugged me, and was happy to see me and everything, but when he found out that it was you... Riku, he was nearly in tears when he found you..." Her voice was nearly a whisper. Riku looked up at her.

"Maybe..." he paused. "You're right..." he admitted finally. A grin spread across her face.

"RIKU!" she squealed, jumped forward and tackling him in a hug. This was the last thing that he was expecting and fell flat on his back on the bed, grunting in surprise and in pain as her elbow collided with his rib. "You're so cute!" she announced, refusing to let go. Riku blushed heavily and was about to push Kairi off of him when the bedroom door burst open.

"HEY GUY-!" Sora sauntered into the room, grinning sheepishly, until he saw Kairi and Riku on the bed in that very compromising position. His mouth formed a perfect 'O' shape and he looked down at his feet. Both Riku and Kairi froze, surprised. Sora turned on his heel and marched back out again, forgetting why he'd returned. Only to late did Riku regain his voice. He rolled off the bed with a thud and scrambled to the door.

"Sora! Wait!"

"No!" came the sudden reply, followed by the slamming of the front door. Riku got to his feet, shook of the shock and growled, balling his hands up into fists and stomping over to his bed.

"SHIT!" he kicked the bed out of anger, which turned out to be a bad idea. "SHIT! THAT HURT!" he shouted, dropping down onto the bed, overwhelmed with frustration. Kairi giggled helplessly at him.

"I'll go talk to Sora. It's alright, it'll be fine. It just surprised him, that's all."

"Well it surprised me too." Riku grumbled angrily. Kairi rolled her eyes.

"Look, by the time you get off work tomorrow, everything will be just fine. I promise. Alright?"

"Yeh, alright." Riku muttered, not looking her in the eyes.

"Look, I got to go," Kairi said, crossing her arms. "Now stop acting like a five year old." she scolded.

"Whatever."

"Bye Riku." Kairi sighed, knowing that she wasn't going to get through to him.

"Bye," he replied gruffly, and if Kairi didn't know better, she would have sworn that he was pouting.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Awwwww poor Riku's in a bad mood... but thats okay, because me updating happy! Right? Now REVIEW! Bwahahahahaha!


	4. Chapter 4: Ghost of a Good Thing

**Chapter 4: Ghost of a Good Thing**

The sun was high, and it was around noon as Kairi walked leisurely down the street towards Sora's house. She was eating a quick lunch, munching on an apple as she walked. She reached Sora's house and knocked on the door, eating happily away and letting her mind wander. The door opened to reveal a tired looking Sora. His expression went blank when he saw her. She smiled at him.

"Hey Sora! Do you still want to hang out today?" she asked, folding her hands behind her back. Sora bit back a rude comment, instead muttering a vague excuse.

"I'm busy today now." he said slowly. She raised her eyebrows, clearly not believing him.

"Oh, well what are you busy doing? Maybe I can help!" she offered, keeping her smile. Sora's expression didn't change.

"No, I gotta do it by myself," he stated. Kairi let out a sigh, her face falling into a frown.

"Alright, Sora, I have to talk to you about yesterday."

"Well I don't want to talk about it," Sora answered, turning to shut the door. Kairi put her hand out and held it open.

"Don't be stupid Sora. It wasn't what it looked like."

"What else could it have been?" he asked incredulously. She paused, trying to formulate her answer.

"Look, me and Riku were talking, and I got a little overexcited. You know how I get, right? I have a habit of jumping people." She allowed herself to giggle. "Anyway, that's what happened, and Riku fell over because he wasn't expecting it, that's all." She watched him carefully, looking for a sign of his reaction. His face cracked into a smile.

"Alright, I was being dumb. Sorry."

"That's okay! Now hurry up and get dressed! The weather is perfect for a fair!" She ushered him into the house.

_x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x_

Giggling giddily, Kairi skipped down the park path, Sora chasing after her. The sun was on its way down, and all that was visible through the thick trees of the park was the purple-y sky of the sunset. She skidded to a stop of the gravel, catching her breath. Sora skidded to a stop next to her and grinned.

"I need to sit for a minute," she breathed, grinning back at him, still breathing hard. Sora sat down on the bench not far away and Kairi sat next to him, taking a deep breath. She kicked at the grass, looking up at the sky above her and the dancing colours of the sunset. Sora cleared his throat, looking suddenly nervous.

"Hey Kai..." he said slowly. She turned to look at him, smiling.

"Yep?" she asked innocently. He looked at her, and then cast his eyes to the ground, nervous.

"I…umm…" he started to say, but couldn't seem to get the words out. Kairi's heart sank. She wondered if she might be able to guess what he was trying to say. She frowned, thinking carefully as to how best tell him… her thoughts were cut off when she found his lips pressed against hers. She let out a slight gasp of surprise, and Sora pulled away, looking confused.

"Sora...I'm so sorry..." Kairi began to say, but Sora interrupted her.

"I'm sorry! I've never kissed a girl before, so it was bad, but I promise I'll get better! Just give me a chance!" he said quickly. She smiled sadly.

"No, Sora, you're a fine kisser, it's just that, unless you share feelings with someone, it's not going to feel right, no matter how good a kisser you are," she explained. Sora frowned.

"But I _do_ have those feelings for you!" he argued desperately. He grabbed one of her hands and held it in his. He was acutely aware of how her touch didn't send those little shocks of numbness up his arms like it was supposed to. How all of a sudden, looking at her didn't make him tongue tied. He watched as she gathered her thoughts and started to doubt his emotions.

"I'm sorry, I just don't feel that way…" she said slowly.

"But… but why not?" he asked, hurt written all over his face, now that, mixed with the feelings of rejection, he wasn't even sure how he felt about her anymore. Kairi sighed, looking down at the ground.

"Because, don't get me wrong, I love you, I'm just not _in_ love with you..." she answered awkwardly. Sora kicked the ground, his shoe making a scuffing sound in the dirt.

"But, I mean, I'd always thought...I mean, it's the way things were supposed to be. I went after Xemnas and Ansem so that when I came back I could live happily ever after with my best friend and my girlfriend!"

_Why not your best friend and your boyfriend? _Kairi found herself wondering, but instead she replied with, "Sora, things never turn out the way they're supposed to. If life was the way it was supposed to be, the Heartless never would have come, and you and Riku never would have had to fight. In fact, I never would have come to the Islands. Lots of stuff would have happened that didn't, and wouldn't have happened that did. I used to return those feelings Sora, but the Heartless attacked, the Islands were rebuilt, and we grew up into different people than we were supposed to, and now I don't feel that same way about you anymore," she explained patiently. Sora was staring at the ground, trying to hold back tears.

"I guess..."

"I used to feel that way about you, but I don't anymore, and-"

"Well why not?!"

"Please! Just hear me out! I don't feel that way about you anymore, and as crazy as it might sound now, I don't think you feel that way about me either."

"What?!" Sora looked up at her, angry that she was trying to tell him how to feel.

"Just let me finish, please! You're chasing the ghost of a good thing, just haunting yourself as the real thing is slipping away from you. It used to be that both of us felt this way about each other and it was a beautiful thing, but we don't feel like that anymore. I don't, and I don't think you do either. You just want so badly for the fairy tale ending to be real. It should be, because if anyone deserves the happily ever after, it's you. But things just don't turn out that way..." She sighed, seeing that Sora didn't want to hear what she was saying. "Just think about it, okay? I really am sorry. Just try and think about it, and make sure that these feelings are real, and not just what you think you should be feeling to make that happily ever after real," she said, getting up and walking away, disappearing down the path. Sora was left alone in the park, letting sink in the fact that he'd been rejected by the only love he'd ever wanted.

_x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x_

Riku pushed the glass doors at the mall entrance open and was greeted by a blast of cool air from outside. It was dusk, and he'd just gotten off work. He had a bag slung over one shoulder and found himself wondering whether Kairi had spoken to Sora yet. He shrugged and tried not to think about it, cutting across the parking lot and through the park. It didn't really cut any time off his walk going this way, but it was certainly a nicer walk. It was early evening, and most families had gone home for dinner, so the park was nearly deserted. All except for the lone, spikey haired figure sitting on a bench with his eyes staring down as his shoes. Riku walked up to him, confused.

"Sora? What are you doing here?" he asked. Sora shrugged miserably.

"I was on my way to visit your house to see if you were home yet," he answered quietly. Riku stared at him.

"My house is in the _other direction._" He paused, leaning forward so he could see Sora's face. "…Are you crying?"

"No."

"Sora! What's wrong?" Riku asked worriedly, sitting down next to his younger crush.

"I...I asked Kairi..." Sora stuttered, too upset and hurt to finish the sentence.

"Oh no..." Riku murmured, knowing what happened. "It's going to be okay. What did she say?"

"I don't want to talk about it." Sora answered flatly, turning so that his back was to Riku. Riku touched Sora's shoulder.

"Sometimes it helps to talk you know." He said slowly. There was a long silence, and just as Riku decided that Sora wasn't going to tell him anything, the spiky haired boy twisted around, looked up at Riku with tear-filled eyes, and then flung himself at the elder. Riku caught him, surprised and just barely able to keep himself from tumbling off the bench. He was entirely unsure of how to react, but Sora clung to him and began to spew out his story.

"I kissed her!" Sora said quickly. "I've never kissed a girl before, so it was really bad, but I only need practice!" he spewed out his explanation so quickly and Riku wasn't entirely sure what he was trying to say, but before he could ask, Sora continued. "Then she started telling me that she used to like me like that, but that things change, and that I'm chasing the ghost of a good thing because I want a happily ever after."

"What did she mean by a ghost of a good thing?"

"I told her that I'd always thought that after beating Ansem and Xemnas, I'd come back to the Islands and spend the rest of my life with you and her, my best friend and my girlfriend, and we'd live happily ever after... and she said that it used to be a good thing, but that it wasn't there anymore and that I was chasing the ghost of it. That I thought I still liked her just because I wanted that happily ever after to be real..." There was a long silence.

"You know...maybe she's right. Things don't turn out the way their supposed to, and no one gets their happily ever after, but you'll get an even better ending. There's a perfect person out there somewhere for each of us."

"How do you know?"

"Well, there'd better be. It's not like we don't deserve it." Riku answered, talking both to himself and Sora. He earned a smile from the other.

"Thanks Riku, you're right. I want a girlfriend who's just like you. Except, I mean, you know, that she's a girl..." Sora said thoughtfully, looking much more cheerful. Riku blinked. _How dense can he possibly be?_ he found himself wondering.

"Umm, well, how about you and me hang out tomorrow. We don't get a chance to hang out, just you and me, very often anymore."

"Hey yeh!" Sora agreed. "And we can go hunting for a girlfriend for me who's just like you except a girl!"

"Umm, actually, it's uhhh... it's supposed to rain tomorrow, so I figure we should stay inside..."

"Then lets go to the mall!" Sora said, grinning from ear to ear despite his cheeks still being streaked with tears from earlier. Riku shook his head awkwardly.

"Don't, I mean, don't you think it's kind of early? Considering that you just kind of got rejected..." He said slowly, regretting his words immediately as the look of hurt reappeared fresh on Sora's face. He search for a way to patch up his mishap. "I didn't mean...Sorry, I just... I mean... I, I..." He began to say, getting flustered and upset that Sora was getting upset. Sora straightened up and looked Riku in the

eye.

"It's okay, you're right. You don't have to be sorry." He said firmly, hugging the elder tightly. Riku froze, shocked, and then slowly returned the hug, blushing bright red as he did so. Sora let go and sat back. "I'll see you tomorrow then. I'll come over just before lunch. Hopefully you'll be awake by then, because last time I woke you, that didn't turn out well." He said with a grin, before leaving Riku collecting his thoughts on the park bench.


	5. Chapter 5: Bouncing Off the Walls

**Chapter 5: Bouncing Off the Walls**

_I'm bouncing off the walls again_

_I'm looking like a fool again_

Sora practically dragged Riku through the house, which was empty, as Sora's parents were away for the week. Sora was chattering away about something or another, but Riku was just glad to see him happy after yesterday. They reached Sora's room, and Sora grinned at Riku, sitting down on his bed and playing with the radio.

"So then I ate ice cream with a purple hippo…" he said non-chalantly. Riku blink at him.

"Wait, what?" he asked, sure that he'd misheard the younger. Sora laughed.

"Just making sure you were still listening. You looked like you'd spaced out," he answered, finally pushing the button that turned the radio on. The end of Sugarcult's "Bouncing Off the Walls" blared out of the speakers. Sora jumped to his feet.

"I LOVE THIS SONG!" he announced, practically giddy. Riku rolled his eyes, flopping down on the bed.

"I wonder why. It's by a band called Sugarcult," he replied, even though Sora clearly wasn't listening. The song ended only moments later and Sora stood stalk still, staring at the radio with a pout.

"Come on! That's such a good song! It's over already!" he whined. Riku sat up, grabbing a pillow and chucked it at Sora's head. It hit the mark and Sora stumbled into the wall with a muffled grunt. Riku chuckled.

"Stop complaining." he ordered with a smug grin. Sora smirked at him, scooped up the pillow and lunged forward, hitting Riku upside the head with it. Riku nearly fell over and grasped at the other pillow, rolling off the bed to take cover from the ensuing barrage from Sora. Sora made his way around the bed to get to Riku, but as soon as Sora came within reach of him as he crouched beside the bed, his hand shot out and caught Sora's ankle, causing the brunette to tumble onto the bed with a shout. Riku jumped to his feet, beating Sora mercilessly with his pillow.

"GAH!" Sora laughed, holding up one arm to try to block the onslaught. With the other hand, he hit Riku in the stomach his pillow. Riku stepped back, recoiling from the blow, and Sora's free hand shot out to snatch Riku pillow out of his hands. Riku held firm and grinned.

"Not a chance," he said. Sora grinned back at him.

"That's what you think!" he answered, pulling with one hand. Riku pulled back with two, and just about dragged Sora off the bed. Sora went tumbling over dramatically off the side of the bed head first, letting out a cry as he did so. Riku loosened his grip and leaned over Sora to make sure he was okay. Sora sat up suddenly, shouting.

"AHA!" Riku stumbled backwards to avoid getting hit, and Sora pulled Riku's pillow from his hands. A pillow in each hand, Sora leapt out of Riku's reach and onto the bed, giggling maniacally. Riku crossed his arms, clearly unimpressed at the prospect of being unarmed, and watched Sora closely. Both stood stalk still, tense and ready, each waiting for the other to leap first. Riku's lips formed an evil smile as he pounced, grabbing a pillow in each hand, trying to pull them from Sora's hands. Surprised, Sora stumbled backwards, pulling Riku into the foot of the bed, his knee connecting with the foot board. He yelped and started hopping up and down on one foot. Sora burst out laughing as Riku scrambled awkwardly onto the bed, afraid of being dragged into something painful again, but still refusing to give up his hold on the pillows.

"Are you alright?" Sora asked once he calmed down enough to speak.

"Fine, but you won't be once I get my pillow back!" Riku growled, grinning. Sora smirked at him and yanked back on the pillows. Riku stepped forward and widened his stance, pulling back against Sora. Laughing evilly, he relaxed his grip and braced himself to fall forward. Totally unprepared for Sora going suddenly limp, Riku almost fell over backwards. He took a few steps back, trying to regain his balance, and his found his foot at the very edge of the bed, nearly off of it. Sora pulled hard on the pillows to keep Riku from falling. Riku was yanked forward and got his feet tangled in the sheets. He let go of the pillows and waved his arms to try and keep himself upright. The sudden lack of weight on the other side of the pillows made Sora fall over backwards. Riku fought helplessly to stay standing ended and he fell forward on top of Sora. Sora let out a groan as Riku's weight crushed him against the bed. Riku grinned, knowing full well that he had a completely unfair advantage, grabbed Sora's wrists, pinning his to the bed with an evil smirk.

"Gotcha."

"Hmph. Not for long!" Sora answered, pushing up against Riku's weight. It didn't work half as well as he thought it would have. Riku smirked triumphantly. Sora started to squirm underneath him, unknowingly grinding his hips seductively against Riku. Riku's breathing caught and he realized all at once that he was on top of a completely helpless Sora, in bed, and that that two were close enough that if he so much as moved, he'd kiss the younger. Riku could feel himself growing hard and immediately rolled off Sora, blushing furiously and hoping beyond all hope that Sora hadn't noticed. However, he apparently misjudged his location on the bed and how close he was to the edge, because he rolled off and landed flat on his face on the floor. He sat up, groaning, and saw a red spot on the floor. He blinked and then all at once realized that he had a nose bleed, though whether it was caused by Sora or the floor he'd never know. Sora leaned over the side of the bed, snickering, to ask if Riku was alright, and gasped.

"Your nose!" he exclaimed, hopping off the bed and kneeling next to Riku on the floor. Riku shrugged.

"I'm okay," he answered, sitting up. More of the red liquid began to seep out of his nose. Sora frowned.

"You are not. You're still bleeding. Come on," he ordered, motioning for Riku to stand. Riku cupped one hand over his face and took Sora's outstretched hand with the other. The young brunette led him into the bathroom. "Sit," he ordered, pointing to the counter. Riku did as he was told and pulled himself up onto the bathroom counter, pulling toilet paper off the roll and wiping his nose with it. He was still bleeding. He frowned. _It's not like I hit the floor that hard. Maybe it _was_ Sora that caused me to get a nosebleed,_ he thought. He could feel his face heating into a blush and pushed the thoughts out of his head. He tilted his head back to keep the blood from running.

"Thanks for doing this Sora, but I'm fine," he said, his voice sounding funny because the air was blocked from getting through his nostrils and his head was tilted so far back.

"No problem! I just want to… Riku!" Sora turned around and placed both of his hands on Riku's face, tilting his head forward again.

"What?" Riku asked suddenly, well aware of Sora's closeness. Their foreheads were nearly touching, and he could feel Sora's breath on his skin. Sora's hands were cupped over Riku's cheeks for long moment, passing his fingers over Riku's jaw and neck once he did. Then, he turned away suddenly and began to rummage through the cupboard again.

"Don't tilt your head back when you have a nose bleed. It's bad for you," he replied, his voice muffled because he was hiding his face in the cupboard. Riku wasn't listening; he was busy trying to calm his beating heart and waiting for the colour his face to go from it's current cherry red to it's normal fair shade. He shut his eyes and sighed. He wanted nothing more than to spend time with Sora, but if this was what was going to happen every time he did, he knew he was going to let something slip or do something stupid, and then things would change forever. If he'd been paying any sort of attention to the object of his affections as the brunette found what he was looking for and began to help Riku clean up, he would have noticed how quiet Sora's voice had gotten, and how he didn't once look Riku in the eye, and how his own cheeks were tinted pink. But as it was, Riku was absorbed in his own thoughts, and didn't notice any of those things. The bleeding had stopped. Sora wet a cloth and carefully started to wipe away any blood left on Riku's face. The cloth was cool, but it burned on his skin simply because it was Sora's hand on the other side of it. Riku tried to sit still, but the entire situation was making him dizzy. Finally, unable to stand it anymore, Riku spoke.

"I can do it myself," he muttered, lifting his hand to grab the cloth from Sora's hand. In trying to clutch the washcloth, he grabbed hold of Sora's hand. Sora tensed and pulled away. The cloth dropped, Riku's fingers tangled in Sora's. Sora's muscles were tense to the point of him nearly trembling, probably from surprise, but it felt strangely like he was holding Riku's hand tighter, not wanting him to let go. Their eyes locked for a moment, and Riku pulled his hand out of Sora's death grip, picking up the cloth and passing it over his face once before dropping it in the sink and jumping off the counter. He glanced in the mirror and passed his hand through is hair; it was still almost numb just from that moment of contact.

"Look, I gotta go," he said simply. He kept his eyes on the floor as he stepped around Sora and walked out.

"Oh. Okay," Sora answered dumbly after a few minutes, even though by then, Riku was long gone to try and sort his own thoughts out.

_x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x_

_Wheeeeee! I updated again! Yayay! I'm so proud! Now hurry and review, and I'll keep my string up hopefully, although work schedule is eating my soul. I'll see what I can do, but I'd most definitely like to hear what you all think!_


	6. Chapter 6: Hide and Seek

**Chapter 6: Hide and Seek**

_where are we?  
what the hell is going on?  
the dust has only just begun to form_

The sunlight was just beginning to peek above the horizon, casting pink and orange streaks across the ocean waves. Riku was sitting on the dock of the Island, with his knees pulled up to his chest. He was watching the sunrise, keeping careful control of his thoughts. His eyes gazed down at the sparkling water, picking out images as they flashed across the surface and disappeared. His eyes remained fixed on a single spot, concentrating completely on every picture that flashed by. If he let his focus slip for just a moment, memories of the day before flooded his mind. Then he'd scowl, and one by one, force each of the images back out of his mind until all that was left was the sunlight flashing on the waves once again. The sun rose gracefully up over the hazy horizon line, the sky fading from vibrant pink and purple and gold, into a smooth white blue. Far off in the distance, at Riku's back, bruised clouds rolled ever closer, but still too far away to be a worry in anyone's mind yet. And never once did Riku move, never once did he let himself be distracted, until a loud thud behind him made him aware of the presence of another.

"There you are," Kairi sounded winded as she spoke. Riku twisted around to watch her as she busied herself with tying her boat up. He took in ever detail of what he was seeing, from the exact shade of her skirt, to the type of clumsy knot she was tying; not so much because he was interested, but more because he needed to focus completely on something as to keep from being inundated with images from the previous day. As the thought occurred to him, those very images once again flooded his mind. He lowered his head and frowned. Never before had he felt so close and so exposed to anyone in his life. He had always carefully shielded himself, never allowing himself to be completely revealed to any one person. But Sora, Sora tore down that shield effortlessly by simply being near.

"Riku? Are you alright?" Kairi was standing over him, looking concerned.

"What? Oh, I'm fine," he mumbled in reply, getting to his feet. Kairi crossed her arms, smirking. Clearly, she didn't believe him for a minute.

"So, what exactly was it that happened yesterday between you and Sora?" she asked casually. Riku frowned, stuffing his hands into his pockets and walking with her across the beach.

"What time is it?" he asked, instead of answering.

"Almost noon. And don't avoid the question," she replied, nudging him. He sighed. They were standing on the beach now, close to the bridge. He looked out over the ocean, spread out before him.

"Well, what do you want to know about yesterday?" Riku asked, feeling stupid. It was painfully obvious that he was still avoiding the question. Kairi giggled.

"Everything, of course! I know something important happened; you're acting all funny, and I know Sora's the reason."

"I wish…" Riku sighed. "I wish that I could still just act like I was Sora's best friend, like the way we used to be. We could do anything together, and we could tell each other anything. I'm hiding stuff from him now, and I'm always distracted whenever he's around me."

"Oh…well, what kind of stuff are you hiding from him?" Kairi asked, unsure of just how to console him. Riku narrowed his eyes at her.

"How about the fact that I have a crush on him?" he replied flatly. Kairi frowned, falling silent, slightly hurt by the edge in Riku's voice. Riku sighed, pushing his fingers through his hair. "Sorry, I know you're trying to be helpful,' he said quietly.

"Well, do you want to tell me what happened yesterday?" she asked slowly, confident that if he talked about it, he might feel a bit better. Riku sighed again, and spotted driftwood floating against the beach. A moment later, he had his keyblade in his hand. He dug the tip of it into the sand beneath the driftwood, and flicked it into the air. The driftwood sailed upward, high above his head, and he smashed the keyblade into it. The driftwood shattered, the pieces flying out into the ocean and landing soundlessly into the water, creating ripples that collided with each other in a dizzying pattern. Riku looked down at his hand wrapped solidly around his keyblade. The weight of the weapon was comforting and familiar. Kairi was quiet, not wanting to push. Riku suddenly began to speak.

"I don't even really know what happened. Sora was being Sora, so I threw a pillow at him. We got into a pillow fight, and ended up…" he trailed off, blushing furiously. "Anyways, I fell off the bed and –"

"Wait," Kairi interrupted, "what do you mean, on the bed?" she asked suspiciously. Riku scowled at her.

"We weren't _doing_ anything. Or, well, I wasn't doing anything. And he didn't _mean_ to do anything; he didn't realize what he was doing to me."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Look, I ended up getting him pinned to the bed, and, well…" he trailed off again. Kairi started to giggle helplessly. A smirk passed across Riku's lips before he could stop it. Chuckling, she put her hands on her hips and leaned towards him.

"And well what?" she asked, now thoroughly curious. Riku's eyes flicked down and he turned bright red, mumbling.

"And well, Sora tried to push me off," he answered vaguely.

"And…?" Kairi pressed, grinning madly.

"And it didn't work very well, and he was…squirming…" Riku mumbled, his face matching a tomato. Kairi's mouth opened very wide as the implications slowly dawned on her. And then she sat down hard on the sand, laughing uproariously. Riku tried to frown at her, but she was laughing so hard that it was contagious, and he found himself joining in her laughter. Kairi wiped away that tears that had gathered in her eyes from laughing so hard, and Riku sauntered along the beach towards another piece of drift wood, flicking that one up into the air and smashing it into a million little bits once again.

"So," Kairi began, standing up and wiping the sand off of her skirt, "when are you going to tell him?"

"Huh?" Riku asked, not paying much attention. "Tell him what?"

"That you _like him_!" Kairi answered incredulously. Riku gaped at her.

"I'm not going to," he said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Kairi scowled at him.

"Why not?!"

"Because no matter how _I _feel, he's still straight," Riku stated simply. Kairi pouted at him for a long moment, before changing the subject entirely.

"Can you teach me how to do that?" she asked, pointing at a lone piece of driftwood floating towards them. Riku stared at her.

"Do what?" he asked dumbly.

"Break the driftwood like that," she answered. Riku grinned, tossing his keyblade high into the air, letting it spin end over end a few times before catching it gracefully. Kairi grinned and applauded.

----------------------------------------------------------

Sora docked his boat, watching Riku and Kairi standing on the beach. Riku was shaking with laughter, and Kairi was laughing so hard that she collapsed onto the sand. Sora stepped out of his boat. There was a certain jealousy welling up inside him, but it wasn't what he expected. It wasn't jealousy of Riku, it was something more intangible, something he didn't understand. He could see it, he was sure: Kairi had always been more interested in Riku; he was older and more mature. It had always been there, her attraction to him, but Sora had been blind to it before now. And there, the way Riku looked at her and smiled at her; he was falling for her, too. He watched them carefully. He wasn't jealous that Kairi returned Riku's feelings. It was simply that there was something there for them that he didn't have. He had his friends – they would always be his friends – but he didn't have someone to hold, not like the way they did now. But then, Riku walked a little ways down the beach, away from Kairi, and further from where Sora was standing. Kairi got to her feet and followed Riku, but there was a strange distance between them now that hadn't been there a moment ago; suddenly, Riku was preoccupied. That passed in a moment, too, and Riku tossed his keyblade high in the air, and Kairi applauded him. Sora decided that now was a good time to join their little party. A plan formed in his mind, and he grinned evilly. He would surprise Riku, he decided. He would sneak up on him and jump on his back, and scare him out of his wits! He let out a quiet laugh and began his sneaky approach. Both Riku and Kairi were too absorbed in what they were doing to notice him. He crept up behind Riku, letting the adrenaline rush through his veins and he prepared to jump Riku. His legs tensed and he crouched to pounce. In that moment, he lost control. The adrenaline became too much, and he wasn't prepared for instinct to take over so forcefully. It knocked the breath out of him. He knew what was going to happen next. He couldn't jump Riku now, but it was too late; his body was tense to strike. With his last ounce of control, he forced himself to jump up higher than he had originally intended: high above Riku's head. A strangled scream invaded his ears, and he landed, cat-like, on the sand. Only, he wasn't himself anymore.

-----------------------------------------------

Riku moved slowly, showing Kairi step by step, just how to flick the log in the air.

"You have to get the angle just right. It's just a little steeper than 45 degrees. Like 50 or so," he was saying to her. She was watching him, interested, but amused at how seriously he was taking it. He felt uneasy for some reason. It reminded him of how he felt in the presence of darkness. And then, as if on cue, Kairi let out a scream and a shadow soared over his head. He gripped his Keyblade, watching as the Heartless vaulted over him and landed neatly on the sand. Instantly Riku struck out at it. He was surprised by the speed at which the thing reacted, jumping backwards and watching him tensely from a safe distance away. Riku stepped sideways, putting himself between the thing and Kairi. He and the creature stared at each other, with paramount suspicion. Heartless were always offensive creatures, attacking with no thought to their own lives, if they had what you could call lives. This one stayed out of the range of his blade, moving from side to side, watching him with disconcertingly intelligent eyes; calculating its next move. Riku returned the gaze, suspicious. No Heartless had acted like this before. Never with strategy like this. They watched each other for a long time, Riku swinging the keyblade in front of him, the creature shifting its weight back and forth on its two feet. It was trying to stand, but it's inclination to walking on four legs made it hunch over. Kairi was standing behind Riku, peering over her shoulder at the creature.

"I know you…" she murmured. The creature froze, its eyes flickering from Riku to Kairi and holding her gaze. There was a moment of complete stillness, and then Kairi grabbed at Riku's sleeve. "It's Sora!" she cried out. The Heartless loped forward. Riku pointed his keyblade at it, watching it warily. The adrenaline that came with an attack was beginning to pass; the dizziness that came with the presence of darkness began to take hold.

"How…do you know?" he asked slowly, swaying on his feet. Kairi's eyes were trained so entirely on the antiSora that she didn't notice.

"I saw him in Hollow Bastion…when he gave his heart to save me," she whispered, her voice hoarse with fear and surprise. Riku wasn't convinced. The presence of darkness was threatening to make his black out, but he fought the darkness eating away at the edges of his vision, knowing that he had to protect Kairi if it wasn't Sora.

"Are you sure?" he asked gruffly, trying to shake off the overwhelming dizziness. Kairi nodded.

"Close you eyes," she ordered. Riku did has he was told, widening his stance to keep from loosing balance. From within the blackness behind his eyelids, he could see a figure forming from in the place where the creature stood in from on him. The figure was Sora. It was exactly like Sora recognizing Riku in the World That Never Was. Sora was crouched, close to the ground, and glancing carefully around, clearly terrified. He seemed to be ashamed of himself, ashamed of the creature that he had become. Riku reached out towards him. He wanted to tell him that he shouldn't feel guilty, that everyone has darkness and that he doesn't need to be ashamed. He wanted to remind him that it's not the darkness itself that's evil; it's the things that lurk within it. He wanted to tell him that he was a good person, because even in a form consumed by darkness, he would not give into his nature and hurt his friends. And most of all, he wanted to tell him that everything was okay, and not to be afraid. That Riku wouldn't ever leave him alone in the dark. He tried to step forward, but lost his balance, and then his consciousness, falling into a heap on the sand. The antiSora rushed forward, the darkness evaporating. By the time he reached Riku's side, he was back to himself.

"Riku! Riku! Wake up! I'm sorry!" he begged the unconscious figure desperately. He laid his head on Riku's chest, clutching at Riku's shirt. "I didn't mean to scare you," he murmured. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, please wake up."

"It's okay, Sora, he's fine," Kairi whispered consolingly, putting a comforting arm around him. To be honest, she had no idea what was happening to Riku. "Let's…let's get him home. At least give him a bed to lie on instead of the sand," she suggested, her voice shaking. Carefully, Sora and Kairi worked together and carried Riku's limp body steadily in the direction of home.

I'm SO sorry that this update took so long! School ate my soul, but now I'M FINISHED HIGH SCHOOL! So updates will start coming much faster now. Promise! Review please!


	7. Chapter 7: She Is

**Chapter 7: She Is**

_This is gonna break me clean in two_

_This is gonna bring me close to you_

Riku opened his eyes, feeling dizzy. What happened? He was in his bedroom. How did he get here? The fuzzy memories we slowly coming back to him. The beach. Talking with Kairi. Teaching her to smash the drift wood. The heartless attack.

"Heartless!" Riku cried out suddenly, his dry throat making his voice crack. He sat up and tried to climb out of bed, but dizziness over took him within an instant, and he fell off the bed, landing on the floor with a _whump!_

"Riku!"

A pair of arms were flung around his torso from behind as he tried to sit up, nearly knocking him over again. Sora buried his face in Riku's shoulder.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to scare you!" he said desperately. It sounded like he was on the verge of tears. Riku pried himself out of Sora's grip, very aware of how close their bodies were, and twisted around to face a very upset boy. He was pouting, and Riku found it entirely distracting.

"Look, I uhhh… I'm fine. Are you okay?"

"Oh yes, I'm fine! I'm so sorry! I should have told you!" Sora said, jumping Riku again. With his face buried in Riku's shoulder once again, he continued to speak, "I have a darkness, and sometimes when I loose control of myself when I'm being aggressive, the darkness gets control of me and I loose control of my drive, and I drive into that…thing… I know I should have told you, but I didn't think it would happen to me here. I'm so sorry. I guess I just got jealous…" he muttered. Riku had to concentrate on every word that Sora said, since he feeling of his warm breath on his neck was making him dizzy.

"…Jealous…" Riku repeated finally. "Jealous of what?" he asked. Sora lifted his head from Riku's shoulder. Riku was half disappointed, since he couldn't deny that he enjoyed the closeness, but also half relieved, since the lack of closeness made it easier for him to pay attention to the conversation. Sora looked down and mumbled something incomprehensibly.

"And anyways," he added, speaking more clearly now, "I should probably head home. I spent the night here you know. I didn't want to leave until I was sure that you were okay, but you're okay now, so…" he said, getting to his feet and walking towards the door. Riku stood up after him.

"I'll walk you home," he offered. He wanted to a chance to ask Sora again about that jealousy comment. The younger looked for a moment like he was going to refuse, but Riku walked up behind him and had an expression set on his face that said that he was not about to take no for an answer. Sora and Riku walked silently down the stairs and outside.

"So…" Sora said slowly, feeling awkward in the silence. Riku glanced at him.

"So what did you mean that you were jealous?" he asked quietly. There was a long pause, and then Sora launched the conversation in the last direction Riku had ever expected it to take.

"Look." Sora said firmly, looking Riku square in the eyes. "If you like Kairi that's okay with me."

Riku stared at him, so surprised by the words that it took him a long moment o even comprehend them. "What? I don't like Kairi. Or not as anything more than a friend, anyway," Riku answered, taken aback by Sora's sudden comment. Sora shook his head.

"It's okay, though. I mean, I understand if you don't want to tell me because I like her, but I really don't mind. Even if it's hard on me for the first little while, I'd rather you just told me." Sora insisted.

"I _don't_." Riku said, getting a little exasperated. Sora crossed his arms and brought himself up to full height.

"Come on, Riku, I might be dense sometimes, but you and Kairi have been having your 'little chats' a lot lately and when I walked in on one, you guys were all over each other. And I saw you two yesterday on the beach, and it's obvious that you guys like each other. I'm not going to be mad if you want to be with her, I'm just hurt that you feel like you can't tell me."

"Sora! I like _someone else!_" Riku stated. Sora opened his mouth to reply, but then the words finally seemed to sink in and he closed it again, looking interested.

"...Who?" he asked eagerly. Riku reddened a little.

"I...uhhh... I don't really want to tell..." he said slowly. Sora frowned.

"Riku, if you're just telling me that to get me to leave you and Kairi alone..."

"I'M NOT!"

"You can tell me you know..." Sora said, looking upset.

"Sora! I don't like her like that!" Riku was beginning to raise his voice, getting frustrated by the argument.

"Okay... I believe you." Sora said slowly, though it wasn't terribly sincere.

"I mean it!" Riku said.

"Why are you being so defensive about it?"

"Because I don't like her and I don't want you thinking I do when I like someone else!"

"Tell me who."

"No!"

"Why not?"

"I can't..."

"...is it Kairi?" Sora asked slowly. Riku let out a frustrated growl and leaned towards Sora, capturing the brunette's lips with his own. The kiss lasted less than a second and Riku pulled away. Sora was shocked, but breathless.

"There. Now you know who I like." Riku said quietly. Sora didn't respond. He was staring off into space, looking at the sky just about Riku's head. Riku glanced over his shoulder to see what the younger was looking at, but there wasn't anything. Sora had a look on his face like he was trying to sort out his thoughts, and it was both a painful and a beautiful epiphany at the same time. Riku watched him anxiously for a long while, waiting for a response. When Sora still didn't say anything, Riku let out a long sigh, the thought slowly dawning on him that everything had changed between them.

"I...I have to go. I'll talk to you later. Or something," he muttered before turning on his heel and walking away at as quickly a pace he could without running. He was _not_ running away from Sora. He was walking very fast is all. Because it was cold outside. Right?

Sora's mind barely registered that Riku had left, and even then it took a good long while for that to happen. Once his mind returned to him, however, he let out a gasp and looked around.

"Riku?" He asked hopelessly, knowing that the other was already long gone. He had to talk to Riku, for sure. Riku just kissed him. Weird. Before he could talk to Riku, though, he had to figure out what he was feeling himself. He licked his lips, the remnants of the kiss still lingering there, and set off, wandering in no particular direction, trying to sort out his emotions. Turning a corner at the end of the street, Sora nearly ran into Kairi, having been paying no attention whatsoever to where he was going.

"Oh! Hi Sora! How's Riku?" She greeted, smiling. There was a pause and she looked over his shoulder. "..._Where's_ Riku? Hasn't he come to yet?" She continued to look around cluelessly.

"Oh...he...went somewhere... not too sure where..." Sora answered slowly. Kairi blinked at him.

"Oh. Are you looking for him then?" she asked, now curious as to what Sora was doing, wandering around by himself. Sora was rarely by himself, and Kairi took note of the lost look on his face. "Are you alright?" she asked.

"Uhhh... well, not really," he admitted. "I kind of need to talk to you..." he said. Kairi nodded, ready for Sora to spill out whatever was bothering him. There was a long silence.

"What do you need to talk to me about?" Kairi asked finally.

"Well, it's kind of about Riku. See, he... actually, when I... I mean..." he paused. "You know the kind of kiss it was supposed to be, when I kissed you? Those kind of fairy tale kisses?" Sora paused to see if Kairi understood what he was trying to say. She was smiling slightly, but seemed confused. Sora pressed on. "You know, like those kisses that are supposed to make you stomach do flips and your knees turn to jell-o." He added, blushing a little as he spoke. Kairi's smile widened, and she nodded.

"I know what you mean, but I'm not sure what this has got to do with Riku." She admitted. Sora paused, his eyes on the ground.

"Riku kissed me. And...I liked it...a lot..." he mumbled. Kairi looked mildly confused.

"So what's the matter?" she asked slowly.

"I'm not supposed to like it! Riku's a guy!"

"...so?"

"So don't you remember what happened to Tidus? He's _still_ living at Wakka's house!"

"Pardon me for saying, but Tidus' father is a drunk and doesn't know which way's up most of the time. I'm sure your parents won't react like that," she answered, buried anger with Jecht surfacing in her words. Sora nodded, though he didn't seem terrible convinced. Kairi continued. "Besides, right now, it doesn't matter what anyone else has to say about it. You and Riku figure things out first, and then we'll go from there, alright?" she said helpfully. Sora nodded, smiling slightly.

"Thanks Kairi. I gotta go find Riku."

………………………

OKies! Next chapter is that last one, and then I'm off to get started on the sequel!


	8. Chapter 8: Fantasy

**Chapter 8: Fantasy**

_ Every night I go looking for you  
Everyone in the world adores you  
A little pocket of something kind  
To find your reason  
Coming up and it everyday for  
Look at me and it's what I stay for  
A little locket of fantasy  
That we believe in_

Sora walked down the street, completely lost as to where Riku possibly could have gone. He let out a sigh as a drop hit the tip of his nose. He looked upwards and could see a sheet of rain falling out of the sky towards him. He let out a long sigh and stood still, letting the rain wash over him. He stood there, in the middle of the street, for at least five minutes, until he was satisfied that he'd been soaked through to the skin and he wasn't going to get any wetter.

"Maybe that was a bad idea" he grumbled to himself, kicking a pebble off the sidewalk and continuing his search. The middle of autumn was much colder when soaking wet. Staring at the pavement in front of his feet, Sora wandered; he let his feet take him where they will.

Soon, pavement became gravel, and the curbs running along either side of the sidewalk gave way to shrubs and dirt and tree saplings. Sora blinked a few times, wondering where he was. Then it struck him; he was in the park, where he'd first talked to Kairi about how he felt about her. It was becoming something of a theme apparently, because on the other side of the soccer field just visible through the trees, was Riku, sitting on the bench and only slightly damp from the rain, as he was mostly shielded by the canopy of the enormous tree towering above him. Sora cut through the tree line and began to trudge across the field. Riku was staring up at the sky, and Sora didn't think he'd noticed him approaching. He was apparently wrong, however, because as Sora got close enough to him to speak, Riku greeted him in the most monotonous possible voice.

"Hey Sora," he said disinterestedly, not bothering to look at the approaching brunette. Sora came to a stop beside the bench. Riku had been sitting with his feet stretched out across its length, but pulled his knees up to his chest, giving Sora room to sit. Sora, however, didn't want to sit, not with Riku's legs acting as so obvious a barrier between them.

"Uh, hi." Sora answered awkwardly, standing with his hands stuffed in his pockets. Riku glanced at him through his bangs. Sora couldn't see his eyes through the hair, and it unnerved him. The silence stretched between them. Sora was getting antsy in the quiet, so he spoke. "Aren't you cold?" He asked, touching Riku's bare arm. Sora was dressed in a sweat shirt. Riku was wearing only a thin shirt, and most of the buttons weren't even done up.

"No." Riku answered bluntly.

"Oh." Sora said slowly, feeling awkward. A breeze picked up, biting into Sora's wet skin. "I am…" he added, more to himself than to Riku. He could feel Riku's eyes on him, watching him through the shield of silver bangs, though he couldn't see Riku's eyes in return. It unnerved him. Riku shifted slightly away from Sora and leaned on the back of the bench.

"Sit," he ordered. Sora blinked, taking a moment to register the order. "It makes me nervous with you hovering over me like that," he added, and explanation to Sora's unasked question. Anger suddenly bubbled up in Sora, and he started to release all of his pent up frustration and confusion.

"Come on, sitting, standing, it doesn't matter! Just being near me makes you nervous, doesn't it?!"

"And why shouldn't you make me nervous? I have an unnatural crush on you: you who saved the world twice, and you who's in love with your princess of heart. Everything's as it should be while I get shoved off into the shadows because I don't fit into this happily ever after. I was the villain. Us bad guys don't get a happily ever after. We just get to be alone for the rest of our lives," Riku answered, his heated reply giving away to a voice that revealed just how alone he felt. Sora pulled Riku's legs off of the bench, removing the wall between them, and sat down.

"Don't lie to yourself. Everything's not as it should be. You were the one who told me so."

"Kairi told you that first."

"You were the one I believed." Sora slid closer to Riku, who had his arms crossed and was looking out over the field. Sora kept his eyes trained on Riku's, barely visible through his silver hair. "Besides," he murmured, "I don't want everything to be as it should be. If it was, I wouldn't be sitting here, asking…" his voice trailed off and he cast his eyes to the ground. Riku turned to finally look at him. Sora's face began to burn in a steady blush. "I wouldn't be asking you to kiss me again…" he mumbled finally. Even though Sora wasn't looking directly at Riku, he could still see aqua eyes going wide. They sat very still for a long time, before finally Riku lifted his hand to Sora's chin and tilted the younger brunette's face up to his.

"Are you sure you want me to…?" he asked slowly. There was another moment of complete stillness, and then Sora moved suddenly forward, throwing his arms around Riku's neck, and pressing his lips against the elder's. Riku was thrown back into the back of the bench, wrapping his arms around Sora's still wet and freezing body. It was a chaste kiss, but it still stole the breath from Sora's throat. Once they broke apart to breathe, Sora smiled his dreamy, innocent smile.

"I'm not cold anymore," he noted quietly. Riku laughed and tightened his arms around Sora again.

"Are you still sure you don't want everything to be as it should be?" he asked, his lips grazing Sora's neck. Sora guided Riku's lips back to his own before answering.

"Well, I don't know, I've always been a very indecisive person…" He paused to grin. "Maybe another kiss might convince me," he finished thoughtfully. Riku grinned and was happy to oblige.

"Made a decision yet?" he asked breathlessly afterwards. Sora was now practically sitting in his lap. The brunette shrugged.

"Not yet… it's going to take lots and _lots_ for me to make a final decision…"

"That can be arranged…" Riku pulled Sora closer and kissed him slowly and deliberately, making sure that he could feel every touch and every move. He ran his tongue along Sora's bottom lip, making the younger shiver with pleasure. Riku pulled away, resisting as Sora tried to pull him back again.

"Why not…?" the brunette asked, obviously disappointed.

"You're freezing. You need to get changed into something warm and dry," Riku answered, getting slowly to his feet. "Come on, let's get you back to your place. It's the closest, right?"

Sora shrugged, still clearly disappointed at being denied further kisses. "I think Kairi's might be closer."

"Then to Kairi's house we go. The faster you get into a warm house, the better."

"But you're cold too!" Sora said, fighting that blush that was growing because Riku was so clearly worried about him when it was something so small.

"I'm not wet though…" Riku paused, looking down at himself. He actually _was_ wet. Sora's drenched body had soaked his own clothes. "Whatever. You're smaller than me."

"SO?!"

"So what I say, goes," Riku answered, teasing. Sora stopped dead, glowering at him. He clearly didn't realize that Riku was teasing.

"That's not fair!" he announced. Riku caught Sora's chin and tilted it up to his, bringing their faces close and letting his breath fall on sun-kissed skin. Sora's eyes fluttered shut in anticipation.

"I'm sure I can think of a million ways to make you feel better about it…" he breathed. Sora's legs went to jelly and he almost fell. Then, Riku pulled suddenly away and left Sora to stumble after him.

"RIKU!"

_x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x_

Kairi answered the door as her doorbell rang for the hundred and fiftieth time that minute. She scowled.

"Can I help… OH! You guys must be freezing! Hurry, hurry, come in!" she cried, ushering the two soaking wet teens into the house. Kairi's father, the mayor, was the only other person she lived with, and he was out at work. She dragged both of them upstairs and into the bathroom. Pulling fuzzy towels out of the closet, she wrapped both of them tightly in at least 3 of them. She then wrapped them further in blankets. By the end of it, Sora felt like he was floating in endless coziness.

"Uhhh… thanks…" he said sheepishly, waddling over to Riku and sitting next to him on the edge of the bathtub. Kairi nodded.

"I hope you guys are feeling better! I'll go make you soup or something, okay?"

"Sure Kairi," Riku answered, grinning. She was mothering them, and he found it kind of funny. She disappeared down into the kitchen, muttering to herself the whole way. Sora trained his eyes on Riku.

"So… I'm still feeling kind of indecisive…" he muttered, blushing slightly as he spoke. Riku grinned.

"You're getting greedy, Sora," he noted casually. Sora scowled.

"Oh come on, it's not like you're not dieing to give me what I want anyways," he scoffed, pouting. Riku chuckled and began to unravel the knot of towels and blankets that was surrounding him. By the time he was finished, the layers were draped over his back and hanging off his shoulders. Grabbing the corners of each blanket in his hands, he opened his arms to Sora, creating an open cocoon for the younger to crawl gratefully into. He pulled the blankets back closed again, wrapping them securely around both himself and Sora, who was settling into his lap. Riku pushed himself backwards along the edge of the tub until his back was up against the bathtub wall. Then, he freed his arms from the tangle of blankets and took Sora's face in one of his hands, kissing him gently. Sora smiled against his lips and wrapped his arms around his torso, pulling them closer together. As Riku's mouth moved to Sora's neck, his hands began to wander, first tracing shapes over Sora's back, moving slowly towards his hips, and then over his thighs. Sora guided Riku's lips back to his again.

"Now look who's getting greedy," he murmured, his breathless voice full of heat. Riku laughed huskily.

"But it's not like you're not dieing to give me what I want."

Sora laughed and kissed him warmly in reply.

_x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x_

Kairi walked up the stairs, balancing a tray on her arm. She had two bowls of soup and three cups of tea (one for herself). She had decided that she would get each one alone and tell them how the other feels. She was getting much too tired of hearing about their supposedly unrequited love for each other. She walked down the hall and pushed open the bathroom door, her eyes trained on the tray as she was careful to make sure that nothing spilled. A sharp gasp drew her attention. She looked up and discovered Sora and Riku in a rather compromising position. Her mouth twitched. She placed the tray carefully down on the counter, and then burst out laughing. Sora and Riku were wrapped together in Riku's towels and blankets. Riku's shirt was unbuttoned and threatening to fall off his shoulders. Sora had managed to loose his shirt entirely, and it was now draped over the side of the bathtub. It was a good thing that Kairi couldn't see what else was going on inside the towel, or she would have been able to see what all else Sora had managed to loose. When Kairi had calmed down enough to think properly, she decided that she needed to hear the whole story, and she knew she'd be able to get it out of Sora better than Riku. Currently, Sora's eyes were flashing around the bathroom, his face as red as a tomato. Riku was grinning like a maniac. Their weight shifted subtly, enough that Kairi wouldn't have noticed, and the blankets moved just a touch. Kairi wouldn't have thought anything of it, except that Sora jumped, pulling himself away from Riku as best he could (which wasn't very well, given that the blankets were holding them pretty firmly together) and yelped.

"RIKU! DON'T DO THAT!"

"Why not? You didn't seem to mind a minute ago," Riku answered, his face distractingly close to Sora's. The brunette went bright red.

"Well…Kairi wasn't here a minute ago," he mumbled in reply. Kairi almost choked when she heard that. She walked up to them, grabbed Sora's free arm and tugged on him.

"We need to talk," she announced, nearly freeing him from the blankets. Riku wrapped his arms around Sora's waist and pulled him back again.

"Mine," he stated with a grin. Sora seemed to get over his embarrassment and wrapped his arms around Riku's neck, peeking up at Kairi from underneath his bangs.

"And anyway, I don't kiss and tell."

Looks like Sora and Riku get their fairy tell ending after all.

Stay tuned for the sequel, _Jade Mirror_! Review please! Love you all!


End file.
